Automated sleeve expander

ABSTRACT

A sleeve expander for use with a steam treatment machine that generally includes a base, a first expander arm, a second expander arm, and an actuator. The base supports the expander arms and actuator, and it has a mounting surface for connecting the sleeve expander to the steam treatment machine, preferably at a lower portion of the machine. The actuator is linked to the expander arms to move the first expander arm toward and away from the second expander arm during a steaming cycle so that the operator merely has to place the garment sleeves over the expander prior to initiating the steaming operation. A full steam treatment machine including a suzi and two of the sleeve expanders is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/595,762, filed Aug. 3, 2005, the complete contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention generally relates to forms for use with steam treatment machines for clothing. More specifically, this invention relates to forms that support and stretch or expand sleeves for pre-steaming clothing prior to pressing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the art to pre-steam clothing such as suit coats and dresses using a steam treatment machine prior to pressing the clothing. Typically, to prepare sleeves of suit coats for pre-steaming, an operator must bend over to insert manual sleeve expanders into the sleeves of the clothing. To manually insert sleeve expanders, an operator must compress the sleeve expander by hand by squeezing the sleeve expander so that it can fit into the cuffed end of the sleeve. Once inserted into the sleeve, the operator releases the sleeve expander to allow it to expand and stretch the sleeve for steaming. The operator can then activate the steam treatment machine to steam the clothing. After being steamed, a fan dries the clothing. Once drying is complete, the operator bends over again and compresses the manual sleeve expander by hand and pulls the sleeve expander out of the sleeve.

As can be seen, the process of using a manual sleeve expander is labor intensive and the repetitiveness of the operation over the course of a worker's shift can tire the operator's hands and back. Moreover, depending upon the design of the manual sleeve expander, the sleeve expander may pull down on the shoulders of the clothing possibly fatiguing the material and/or seams at the shoulders.

Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a sleeve expander that requires less manual effort. It would also be advantageous to provide a sleeve expander than can either be integrated by the original equipment manufacturer into currently produced machine designs or retrofit onto existing machines already being used in the garment cleaning industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a sleeve expander for use with a steam treatment machine that generally includes a base, a first expander arm, a second expander arm, and an actuator. The base supports the expander arms and actuator, and it has a mounting surface for connecting the sleeve expander to the steam treatment machine, preferably at a lower portion of the machine. The actuator is linked to the expander arms to move the first expander arm toward and away from the second expander arm during a steaming cycle so that the operator merely has to place the garment sleeves over the expander prior to initiating the steaming operation.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a steam treatment machine that includes a pair of the sleeve expanders. The actuators of the sleeve expanders are tied into the control circuit of the steam treatment machine so that the sleeve expander arms automatically expand during the steaming operation and thereafter retract back to their initial position once the operation is complete.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and wherein:

FIG.1 shows a perspective view of an automated sleeve expander mounted on a steam treatment machine;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the automated sleeve expander of FIG. 1 with the sleeve expander in an expanded position;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the automated sleeve expander of FIG. 1 with the sleeve expander in a retracted position; and

FIG. 4 shows a front view of the automated sleeve expander of FIG.1 with the sleeve expanders rotated away from the steam treatment machine to steam clothing without sleeves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a pair of automated sleeve expanders 10 for use with a steam treatment machine 12 for stretching or expanding the sleeves on clothing such as a suit coat during steaming. The automated sleeve expanders 10 may be integrated by the original equipment manufacturer into a steam treatment machine 12 or may be retrofitted for use with existing steam treatment machines.

As commonly known in the art, steam treatment machines 12 are comprised of a frame 20 and a steamer 22. The frame 20 is made from metal such as steel or aluminum and includes a lower portion 24 having a circular shape. The steamer 22 includes a fabric garment support 26, electrical controls 28, a foot pedal 30, a steam generator 32, and a fan (not shown). The fabric garment support 26 is commonly referred to as a suzi and is mounted on the frame 20 to support clothing for steaming. The fabric garment support 26 contains a mesh material to allow steam to pass through it and penetrate into clothing hung on the garment support 26. Both sleeved and sleeveless garments can be treated on machine 12, as is known to those skilled in the art. The electrical controls 28 include a timing circuit 36 for controlling the timing of the steaming and the fan. The foot pedal 30 is wired to the electrical controls 28 to allow the operator to initiate a machine cycle using timing circuit 36 that provides automated steaming of the clothing. The steam generator 32 is located within the frame 20 and generates steam that passes through the garment support 26. The fan is also located within the frame 20 and blows air through the garment support 26 to dry the clothing after steaming.

The sleeve expander 10 generally includes a first expander arm 40, a second expander arm 42, an actuator 44, and a base 46 that supports the expander arms and actuator off a lower portion 24 of the machine frame 20. The actuator 44 is linked to the expander arms 40, 42 and operates under electronic control of the machine to move the second expander arm 42 in a forward and aft direction away from and back toward the first expander arm 40 as shown in FIG. 2. When used on the steam treatment machine 12, two such sleeve expanders 10 will typically be used, both of which can, but need not, have a “mirror image” construction as shown along with an identical function during operation of the machine 12. Accordingly, only one sleeve expander 10 will be described below and it will be appreciated that the following discussion applies equally to the other sleeve expander. To connect the sleeve expander 10 to the machine frame 20, the base 46 is bolted to the lower portion 24 of the frame 20. Alternatively, the base 46 may be fixed to the lower portion 24 through screws, rivets, adhesives, welds, clamps, etc. The base portion 46 contains a mounting member 50 and a flange 52. The mounting member 50 is a flat section of steel having a curved mounting surface that connects to the lower portion 24. The curved mounting surface at least loosely matches the curvature of the top end of the lower portion 24 to maximize the contact area of the mounting member 50 and lower portion 24 when they are bolted together. The flange 52 extends generally perpendicularly from the mounting member 50 in a generally vertical direction.

Although the expander arms 40, 42 and actuator 44 can be connected as a group directly to the flange 52, the illustrated embodiment further includes the ability to pivot the expander arms out away from the garment support 26 so that they will not interfere with operation of the machine when it is used for sleeveless garments. For this purpose, a support member 54 is pivotally connected to the flange 52 by way of a spring loaded bolt 56. This support member 54 carries the first arm 40 as will be discussed farther below. The bolt 56 extends through holes in the support member 54 and the flange 52. The bolt 56 is secured by a nut 62 which applies pressure to the pivotal joint by way of a spring 58 and washer 60. Tightening the nut 62 on the bolt 56 compresses the spring 58 to provide the joint with an adjustable amount of resistance when the support member 54 is pivoted toward and away from the garment support 26.

The first expander arm 40 is attached to the support member 54 opposite the bolt 56. In this embodiment, the support member 54 and expander arm 40 could be made a single component; however, by making them separate components secured together, the arm 40 can be made from wood whereas the support member 54 can be made of metal. The first expander arm 40 is sized lengthwise to accommodate a variety of sleeve sizes, from children's sleeves up to larger adult sizes. In addition, the first expander arm 40 is slightly curved in shape to provide even pressure along the back portion of the various sized sleeves. A slot 64 extends through the first expander arm 40 near the support member 54.

A linkage member 66 is pivotally supported on the first expander arm 40 and support member 54 via a bolt 68 extending laterally through these components. The linkage member 66 extends from a first end 70, through the slot 64, and to a second end 72. The linkage member 66 pivots about the bolt 68 from a retracted position to an expanded position. When in the retracted position, the linkage member 66 is in near proximity to the first expander arm 40 as shown in FIG. 3. When in the expanded position, the linkage member 66 is pivoted away from the first arm as shown in FIG. 2.

The second expander arm 42 pivotally attaches via a bolt 69 to the linkage member 66 at its first end 70 and at approximately the midpoint of the second expander arm 42. The second expander arm 42 is made of wood and contains a slot 74 in which the linkage member 66 may fit. The slot 74 allows the linkage member 66 to nest in and out of the slot 74 as the second expander arm 42 pivots in relation to the support member 54. The second expander arm 42 is appropriately sized to accommodate a variety of sleeve sizes, from children's sleeves up to larger adult sizes. In addition, the shape of the second expander arm 42 is slightly curved to provide even pressure along the front portion of the various sized sleeves. Likewise, the linkage arm 66 is sized to provide sufficient length for pivoting the second expander arm 42 to expand various sized sleeves. Specifically, the distance between the first end 70 of the linkage member 66 and the center of the first expander arm's slot 64 can be approximately fourteen inches and the distance between the second end 72 of the linkage member 66 and the center of the first expander arm's slot 64 can be approximately eleven inches.

The actuator 44 is a pneumatic cylinder having a cylinder 76 for expanding and retracting the first expander arm 40 and the second expander arm 42 in relation to each other. Specifically, the cylinder 76 pivotally connects to a support flange 79 extending off the support member 54. As shown in FIG. 4, a clevis 80 connect to a side of the support flange 79 and along either side of a hole on the cylinder 76. A clevis pin 82 extends through both sides of the clevis 80 and the cylinder 76 to pivotally join the cylinder 76 to flange 79. On the other end of the actuator 44, the rod 78 pivotally connects to the linkage member 66 via a second pin 83 (FIG. 2) inserted through holes in the rod 78 and the linkage member 66.

The actuator 44 is sized to provide sufficient stroke and pressure to expand the sleeves of most suit coats. In one embodiment, the actuator 44 is a two-way pneumatic cylinder having a one-half inch piston and a three-inch stroke. The actuator 44 has two connectors 84 linking two air lines 86 to the cylinder 76. The air lines 86 connect the actuator 44 to a source 88 of compressed air (e.g., an air compressor) via a switchable valve 92 that is electronically controlled by a reversing relay 90 mounted within the machine 12. The compressed air source 88 supplies eighty pounds per square inch of air to the actuator 44 to extend and retract the rod 78 from the cylinder 76. The reversing relay 90 is a 110VAC relay that connects to and is controlled by the timing circuit 36 within the machine 12 so that upon initiation of a steam cycle, the timing circuit 36 produces a control signal that activates the relay 90 to open valve 92 in a manner that causes actuator 44 to extend and move the second expanding arm 42 to its extended position. Once the steam cycle ends, the timing circuit terminates the control signal, thereby causing the relay 90 to reverse and switch the valve 92 such that the compressed air is provided to the other end of the cylinder 76 to thereby retract the expanding arm 42. Suitable relays, valves, and pneumatic control schemes for carrying out this operation are well known to those skilled in the art.

Two automated sleeve expanders 10 are typically mounted to a single steam treatment machine 12. The two sleeve expanders may be mounted using either a single or separate base 46 as shown in FIG. 1. To accommodate a wide variety of suit coats and other garments, each sleeve expander is mounted approximately fifty degrees from the front platen 25 of the steam treatment machine 12 such that the sleeve expanders are located laterally from each other on either side of the body. In addition, the compressed air source 88 is capable of simultaneously supplying air for the two sleeve expanders actuators. As will be appreciated, the illustrated configuration of the sleeve expanders allow the sleeve expanders to be easily retrofitted to almost any existing steam treatment machine 12. To retrofit a typical existing machine, the base 46 and its expander arms and actuator, are attached to the lower portion 24. Then, the compressed air source 88 is plumbed over to the machine 12, the valve 92 is connected to this supply, and the pneumatic lines 86 are connected between the actuators 44 and valve 92. The relay 90 is then mounted on or inside the machine 12 and is wired to a 110VAC supply and to the proper control signal from the existing machine timing circuit 36, and the relay output is also wired to the valve to control. If pressurized air is not already available, a dedicated air compressor can be used.

To pre-steam clothing such as a suit coat, the operator first places the suit coat over the garment support 26. Next, the operator places each sleeve over the sleeve expanders, which are in the retracted position. To activate steaming of the clothing, the operator steps on the foot pedal 30. The electronic controls detect the foot pedal 30 activation and trigger the timing circuit 36. The timing circuit 36 activates the relay 90 and, thus, the valve 92 and actuator 44 to expand the arms 40, 42. This timing circuit also activates the steamer 22 to send steam to the suit coat. The steamer 22 continues sending steam to the clothing until the timing circuit 36 commands the steamer 22 to end steaming and to activate the fan. The expander arms are kept in their expanded position while the steaming operation is carried out and can either be retracted at the same time that steaming ends or can stay extended until after the fan cycle ends. Alternatively, the expanders can be retracted during either the steaming or fan drying cycles.

When the cylinder 76 is activated to extend the arms, the compressed air forces the rod 78 to advance from the cylinder 76, and pivots the linkage member 66 about the bolt 68 and moves the second expander arm 42 away from the first expander arm 40 in the forward direction. As the linkage member 66 pivots about the bolt 68, the second expander arm 42 expands the sleeve as the arm 42 moves away from the first expander arm 40. As the sleeve expands, its contact with the second expander arm 42 causes the arm 42 to pivot about bolt 69 at the end of the linkage member 66 to provide maximum surface contact between the second expander arm 42 and the inside of the sleeve. This allows the pivotal motion produced by the actuator 44 to be converted into translational movement of the second arm 42 relative to the first arm 40, with the second arm being able to pivot to a position that conforms to the inside of the sleeve. Meanwhile, the first expander arm 40 maintains contact with the back inside portion of the sleeve and holds the back of the sleeve in place as the second expander arm 42 continues to move away from the first expander arm 40. The increased distance between the first expander arm 40 and the second expander arm 42 apply gentle pressure to the front and the back of the sleeve and causes the sleeve to expand. As the rod 78 continues advancing from the cylinder 76, the rod 78 pivots in relation to the linkage member 66 and the cylinder 76 pivots in relation to the support flange 79. The rod 78 continues to advance further from the cylinder 76 until the sleeve expander has fully expanded the sleeve.

Once fully expanded, the sleeve provides sufficient resistance against the first expander arm 40 and the second expander arm 42 to prevent the second expander arm 42 from rotating any further away from the first expander arm 40 and prevents the rod 78 from advancing further from the cylinder 76. The size of a given sleeve determines how far the second expander arm 42 can pivot away from the first expander arm 40. The first expander arm 40, second expander arm 42, the support member 54, the linkage member 66, and stroke of the actuator 44 are sized to provide for sufficient expansion for almost all sized sleeves. Furthermore, the actuator 44 is sized to provide for maximum expansion of almost all sized sleeves without harming the sleeve by overstretching or tearing the sleeve.

Deactivation of the relay 90 triggers the valve 92 to reverse air flow to the actuator 44. Reversal of the air flow causes the rod 78 to retract into the cylinder 76. As the rod 78 retracts, the second expander arm 42 pivots back toward the first expander arm 40 in an aft position, reducing the distance between the first expander arm 40 and the second expander arm 42. The actuator 44 continues to retract until fully retracted and the second arm has been pivoted fully toward the first arm. Once the sleeve expander has been retracted, the air source 88 can continue to supply compressed air to maintain the expander arms closed, or can be closed off via the valve 92 to cease supplying air to the actuator 44. The operator is then able to remove the pre-steamed clothing from the garment support 26 by lifting the clothing up off the garment support 26. As the operator lifts the clothing, the sleeves are also automatically lifted off the retracted sleeve expanders. Therefore, there is no need for the operator to separately remove the sleeves from the sleeves expanders.

When not in use, the sleeve expanders can be pivoted laterally away from the garment support 26 to aid in pre-steaming sleeveless garments. Specifically, the support member 54 rotates about the bolt 56 from a position near the garment support 26 (FIG. 1) to a position away from the garment support 26 (FIG. 4). The operator can rotate the first expander arm 40, second expander arm 42, support member 54, linkage member 66, and actuator 44 all together as a unit about the bolt 56 by pushing the first arm away from the garment support 26. The spring 58 applies resistance to the rotation of the unit about the bolt 56. The resistance provides stability when the sleeve expander is in use, and the spring 58 applies constant resistance to the unit's rotation throughout the range of rotation allowing the sleeve expander to be rotated to any number of desired positions. The resistance prevents the sleeve expanders from moving out of their current position without operator intervention. The sleeve expanders may continue to expand and retract during the steaming process, even when the sleeve expander is rotated away for sleeveless clothing, because the actuator 44 never requires disconnection from the air compressor 88.

A position switch 94 or sensor 96 may be installed to detect the position of the sleeve expander to facilitate deactivation of the sleeve expander when the sleeve expander is positioned for treating sleeveless clothing. The switch may be wired to the valve 92 to prevent the compressed air supply 88 from activating the cylinder 76 when the sleeve expander is positioned for sleeveless clothing. In an alternative embodiment, a manually-operated pushbutton may be wired to the valve 92 to deactivate the sleeve expanders. The button would be wired to the valve much like the position switch 94 to allow the operator to manually disable activation of the sleeve expanders.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not a definition of the invention itself, but is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in the illustrated embodiment the first expanding arm 40 is fixed to the base 46 so that it does not move during the steaming cycle; rather, the second arm moves. In other embodiments, both arms could move relative to the base during extension and retraction of the arms. Also, rather than using a reversing relay and valve to cause the arms to move in both directions between the extending and retracted positions, the arms could be biased by a spring or otherwise into one of the two positions. Furthermore, a servo motor, a stepper motor, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like may be used for the actuator 44 instead of a pneumatic cylinder. Also, rather than connecting the sleeve expanders to the machine itself, they can have a base with a mounting surface designed to mount to the floor near the lower portion 24 of the steam treatment machine 12. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.

As used in this specification and appended claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” and “such as,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Terms of degree such as “about,” “generally,” and “approximately” include not only the specified dimension or other number, but also variations that do not have a substantial impact on the characteristics or application of that to which the number relates. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation. 

1. A sleeve expander for use with a steam treatment machine for garments, comprising: a base having a mounting surface for attaching said base to a steam treatment machine; a first expander arm; a second expander arm, wherein said first and second expander arms are supported by said base; and an actuator linked to said first expander arm and said second expander arm, wherein said actuator is operable to move said first expander arm relative to said second expander arm toward and away from said second expander arm.
 2. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein the base supports the expander arms and actuator via a pivotal joint.
 3. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said base includes a flange and a mounting portion having said mounting surface, and wherein said sleeve expander further includes: a support member attached to said flange and connected to said first expander arm; and a linkage member connected at opposite ends to said actuator and said second expander arm; wherein said linkage member is pivotally connected to said support member at a location intermediate said ends such that said actuator causes said linkage member to pivot at said intermediate location to move said second expander arm toward and away from said first expander arm.
 4. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 3, wherein said second expander arm is pivotally connected to said linkage member.
 5. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said expander arms and actuator are mounted on said base via a pivotal joint such that, when said sleeve expander is mounted to the steam treatment machine, said expander arms can be pivoted between a first position adjacent the machine to a second position spaced away from the machine.
 6. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said actuator is a pneumatic cylinder.
 7. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said second expander arm is pivotally supported by said first expander arm with a linkage member.
 8. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said first expander arm and said second expander arm are at least partially composed of wood.
 9. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said first expander arm and said second expander arm are contoured to fit sleeves.
 10. A sleeve expander as defined in claim 1, wherein said actuator includes at least one input for receiving a control signal from the steam treatment machine to activate said actuator.
 11. A steam treatment machine for steaming garments, comprising: a frame having a lower section; a steamer mechanically coupled to said frame, said steamer including a garment support mounted on said frame to support an article of clothing; an automated sleeve expander including: a base connected to the lower section of said frame; a first expander arm; a second expander arm, wherein said first and second expander arms are supported by said base; and an actuator linked to said expander arms, wherein said actuator is operable to move said first expander arm relative to said second expander arm toward and away from said second expander arm.
 12. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said base includes a flange and a mounting portion having said mounting surface, and wherein said sleeve expander further includes: a support member attached to said flange and connected to said first expander arm; and a linkage member connected at opposite ends to said actuator and said second expander arm; wherein said linkage member is pivotally connected to said support member at a location intermediate said ends such that said actuator causes said linkage member to pivot at said intermediate location to move said second expander arm toward and away from said first expander arm.
 13. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said expander arms and actuator are mounted on said base via a pivotal joint such that, when said sleeve expander is mounted to the steam treatment machine, said expander arms can be pivoted between a first position adjacent the machine to a second position spaced away from the machine.
 14. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said actuator is a pneumatic cylinder.
 15. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said second expander arm is pivotally supported by said first expander arm with a linkage member.
 16. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said first expander arm and said second expander arm are at least partially composed of wood.
 17. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said first expander arm and said second expander arm are contoured to fit sleeves.
 18. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said actuator includes at least one input for receiving a control signal from the steam treatment machine to activate said actuator.
 19. A steam treatment machine as defined in claim 11, wherein said actuator is pivotally connected to said first expander arm.
 20. A method of steam treating a sleeved garment, comprising the steps of: placing a garment over a steam treatment machine having a pair of sleeve expanders; placing each sleeve of the garment over a corresponding one of the sleeve expanders; initiating a steam cycle using an electrical control of the machine; expanding the sleeve expanders under electronic control of the machine; applying steam to the garment and sleeves; retracting the sleeve expanders under electronic control of the machine; and lifting the garment off the steaming device. 